I use Automator (mac os app) to do this, but it seems like such a dumb thing to do so regularly. If i transfer a photo on my iphone via google drive or some other cloud service, it inevitably needs to be changed to jpg.
Although I have not used it for a while so not sure it is exactly that. It also does not support batches, you must run one image at a time, but that can be scripted. It also does not support multiple operations, so you might need to use the .v extensions as intermediary between multiple presets(for example sepia + resize + crop).
If I do this on my mac, I wonder if am technically violating the HEIC patent license. I suppose it depends on the details in the patent license, plus perhaps rights Apple has acquired for its users. I definitely don't know, but maybe someone on HN does?
- tap “Options” under “1 photo selected” top of sheet.
The first choice there is:
Format:
[√] Automatic
[] Current
[] Most Compatible
Choose Automatic for the best format for the destination or Current to prevent file format conversions. Photos and videos may convert to JPEG, PNG, and H.264 formats if you choose Most Compatible.
Most Compatible will put a jpeg on Drive for example, I just verified myself.
Are the HEIC photos personal ones being created by an iPhone? There's a setting you can flip that'll make your iPhone just take JPGs. Which could make sense from you if you're not getting any benefit from HEIC. https://support.apple.com/en-us/116944#:~:text=How%20to%20ca...
Also I've had no problem with HEIC photos on GPhotos, Dropbox, etc. But YMMV
When one eludes my ban ... (see other posts how to ban it inside the phone, but it exists outside (people send me messages)) [0] samples to play with.
On the desktop, Preview app (and lots of others) will open and export as ...
On the phone (Apple, sometimes you bewilder me), You can convert in Files, not Photos. 1. Save a photo to FILES from camera roll or web (This works with webp, as well) 2. click and hold the THUMBNAIL, do not open the image. 3. Quick Actions -- Convert image. 4. You can now "save" the image (open, do not click and hold) to your camera roll.
This is BONKERS
As others have noted, "There's an app to do it".
Worst for me in daily life, when you get info on an image (in the camera roll, pull up on the image) WEBP does not even show as a file type. HEIC does.
I save my iPhone photos to my linux desktop. The default image viewing software in the Gnome 3 window manager can display HEIC images.
Conversions on the command line are simple enough with imagemagick. Prior to conversion, I use exiftool to rename the files from IMG_0123.HEIC to the date the image or video was taken, followed by a truncated sha256 digest of the file, e.g. 2025-12-22-1732-f8b7302.HEIC. Otherwise, you can get a nasty condition where the IMG_XXXX filenames collide when consolidated into the same directory.
HEIC is a container; HEIF is a container format. I don't know why images from my iPhone get saved with a HEIC extension... seems like it should be HEIF.
That said, when I move photos from my phone to by desktop via Signal; somewhere along the way it gets converted to JPEG so it's not a concern.
You do know that something similar is true for JPEG, right? :)
JPEG is a compression method. Files with JPEG-compressed data are most likely to be in either JFIF or EXIF container formats. Both will almost always use the .jpg/.jpeg file extension.
Readit News
I think converting HEIC into jpg would be simple
Although I have not used it for a while so not sure it is exactly that. It also does not support batches, you must run one image at a time, but that can be scripted. It also does not support multiple operations, so you might need to use the .v extensions as intermediary between multiple presets(for example sepia + resize + crop).I’m referring to this:
- select something in Photos, then Share.
- tap “Options” under “1 photo selected” top of sheet.
The first choice there is:
Format:
[√] Automatic
[] Current
[] Most Compatible
Choose Automatic for the best format for the destination or Current to prevent file format conversions. Photos and videos may convert to JPEG, PNG, and H.264 formats if you choose Most Compatible.
Most Compatible will put a jpeg on Drive for example, I just verified myself.
https://caniuse.com/?search=HEIC
I mostly am a DSLR photographer but for the occasional iPhone shot
https://mastodon.social/@UP8/115740936297822037
I use Photoshop. (Where's Cindy when I need her?)
Also I've had no problem with HEIC photos on GPhotos, Dropbox, etc. But YMMV
On the desktop, Preview app (and lots of others) will open and export as ...
On the phone (Apple, sometimes you bewilder me), You can convert in Files, not Photos. 1. Save a photo to FILES from camera roll or web (This works with webp, as well) 2. click and hold the THUMBNAIL, do not open the image. 3. Quick Actions -- Convert image. 4. You can now "save" the image (open, do not click and hold) to your camera roll.
This is BONKERS
As others have noted, "There's an app to do it".
Worst for me in daily life, when you get info on an image (in the camera roll, pull up on the image) WEBP does not even show as a file type. HEIC does.
ios 18, not 26.
[0] https://toolsfairy.com/tools/image-test/sample-heic-files
Conversions on the command line are simple enough with imagemagick. Prior to conversion, I use exiftool to rename the files from IMG_0123.HEIC to the date the image or video was taken, followed by a truncated sha256 digest of the file, e.g. 2025-12-22-1732-f8b7302.HEIC. Otherwise, you can get a nasty condition where the IMG_XXXX filenames collide when consolidated into the same directory.
That said, when I move photos from my phone to by desktop via Signal; somewhere along the way it gets converted to JPEG so it's not a concern.
JPEG is a compression method. Files with JPEG-compressed data are most likely to be in either JFIF or EXIF container formats. Both will almost always use the .jpg/.jpeg file extension.